ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the techniques and notation of calculus and shows a few examples of ways to use these techniques. Calculus allows us to deal with processes whose rates are not constants. Since this is the case for most real processes, calculus is an essential part of all applied mathematics. In particular, differential calculus is used to determine the instantaneous rate at which a given process takes place. The chapter introduces the notation needed for differential calculus. Calculus obtains its results by considering what happens in the case of infinitesimally small differences between quantities. Whenever trigonometric ratios are used in calculus, it should always be assumed that angles are measured in radians rather than degrees. Sometimes it is necessary to make a substitution to find the derivative of an expression. If this is done then the chain rule should be used to obtain the required solution. The higher derivatives can be used to find the maxima and minima of functions.
